- Federal Judge in Florida Rules Against wearing Masks on Planes
- Mask Mandate is over for Air Travel
For the first time in two years, airlines are repealing face mask mandates that were put in place to protect against the spread of COVID-19.
A federal judge in Florida has ruled that the US government does not have the authority to mandate that passengers wear face masks while flying. The ruling comes as airlines are starting to lift their restrictions on face masks.
The new guidelines have prompted airlines to ditch their mask requirements. Alaska Airlines was the first to do so, followed by JetBlue and American Airlines.
Delta Air Lines says it will allow vaccinated passengers to go without masks beginning July 2. United Airlines says it will make the same change starting July 5.
Southwest Airlines says it is still evaluating the CDC’s new guidance, but that it “looks forward to a day when we can be mask-free.”
While major airlines are starting to lift their mask requirements, private jet travel has been mostly unaffected by the pandemic.